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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a line of people
  6. degree — temperature
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com